As many teenagers up and down the UK ponder their future careers in the middle of a third national lockdown, we exclusively spoke to The Sun’s F1 Correspondent, Ben Hunt about life as a journalist and what advice he has for young aspiring journalists.
Hunt has been covering F1 for The Sun since 2012 after spending the early stages of his journalism career covering multiple roles, and now speaks about his experiences from a young journalist covering various sports to the world of F1 plus offers advice if looking to break into F1 as a journalist.
Who inspired you to become a journalist?
Hunt: “I always wanted to be a footballer but realised from a very young age – I was seven – that I was not good enough. I wanted to work in football and my dad was in the news paper industry as a printer.
“He told me about journalism and how a colleague’s son worked for a newspaper as a journalist and had a suitcase always semi-packed ready to leave whenever he got the call to follow a story. I liked that idea and so took it from there.”
Your first job at Hayter Teamwork upon graduating from University saw you cover a multitude of sports. Given that sport journalists today cover various sports, what was it like developing your trade at Hayter Teamwork with quick turnarounds if covering different sports on consecutive days?
Hunt: “Yes, exactly. On-the-job training. I would be thrown in at the deep end and made some mistakes along the way. One example sticks in my mind when I had spelt Kevin Pietersen’s name wrong through a whole article I’d actually sent to The Sun.
“The News Editor at the time called me up to tell me exactly what he thought! I never made the same mistake again.
“Being at an agency, I learned so much, starting at the bottom and working my way up. Almost like an apprenticeship.”
Late 2007 saw you join Wardle Whittell Limited where you were Assistant News Editor at The Sun, whilst conducting various roles including Golf Editor for FanHouse UK. How different did you find your time at Wardle Whittell compared to Hayter Teamwork and how did you benefit from the change as a journalist?
Hunt: “At Wardle, I worked from home, so that taught me about time management. Of course I did press conferences and games and other things like golf tournaments, but it was more like working as a staff reporter, rather than a freelance journalist.”
Throughout your time with both businesses, you occupied various editing roles and covered various sport events. From your perspective, which of those two areas did you enjoy most?
Hunt: “I prefer being out of the office and on location. While that brings more pressure, it is also the reason I got into journalism.”
Since 2012, you have been F1’s correspondent for The Sun. in which you have had to attend Grands Prix. As a correspondent who attends races, what is an ordinary race week like from your perspective and what advice would you give young F1 aspiring journalists looking to cover races trackside in future?
Hunt: “Every race is different. It is about getting on top of the talking points that weekend. Spending time to read about the sport and drivers, keeping an eye on website and social media. It is about being engrossed in it.
“You also need to come into an F1 weekend with some questions and topics that you’d like to discuss. It is no use arriving in the paddock on Thursday expecting others to bail you out.”
Throughout your time at The Sun, you’ve reported on various stories from Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes move to writing feature pieces on various topics. Given how different every story is, which story from across your entire career are you most proud of and why?
Hunt: “This is difficult to say. Obviously the stories that make people think or that break news are my favourite, but it is too difficult to pick one particular story.”
With plans for 23-25 race calendars from this season onwards, what are your thoughts on these plans and the potential impact on F1 journalism in terms of race attendance?
Hunt: It is incredibly difficult for everyone to commit to a full 23 race calendar. The travel and logistics – especially during a pandemic – not to mention the cost, is hugely relevant.
“A typical F1 week would see me leave home on Tuesday and return the following Monday. It is not a Fri-Sun job.
“The other aspect is, I don’t think people generally realise how long we spend at the track. Usually from 9amm until 7pm. Again, we do pack up and go back to our hotels once the cars stop running. With more races, and in further-flung parts of the world, the number of journalists is going down, mainly due to the cost.”
You’ve been lucky to have enjoyed a career rise just as technology evolved over the last two decades. Compared to when you began at Hayter Teamwork to now, how important has technology become for you as a journalist throughout your career?
Hunt: ” Technology has helped make life easier. Phones and apps – things like Google Maps etc, have made it so much easier to get around while translation apps have also been useful in places like China, Korea and Japan – even for things like ordering food.
“Laptops are lighter, quicker, and easier to use, while it is also now possible to send stories written on your phone. It allows you to file stories from anywhere you have a phone signal.
“It has also changed the way we work too, as you are able to follow and break news more quickly and effectively. The only downside – if you can call it that – is that it now means you don’t get away from F1 and that you are always on call, so to speak.”
Finally, what advice do you have for young sport journalists looking to break into Motorsport coverage and particularly during these Coronavirus pandemic?
Hunt: “Whenever I meet aspiring journalists, I tell them that there is nothing to stop them from fulfilling their dream. I went to a ‘normal’ school but applied myself and worked hard and went to University etc, but the biggest piece of advice is to start young and start small.
“Often, people want to go straight to the top, work in F1 or Premier League but I am a great believer in working your way up.
“Good stories can be local; at your local club or kart track. Go there and get to know people. Always say hi and try to get contact numbers or even Twitter handles. Pick up stories there and then pitch them to an outlet – local paper or website.
“Be prepared to work for free/experience at first. Think of it as training. Once you gain in confidence with your writing, look at other series, come up with ideas and contact press officers at lower formula teams – remember these racers are the future F1 stars.
“Be prepared to build up slowly, so hang on in there if at first it seems you are getting nowhere. Embrace podcasts and grow your brand on social media. Nobody is going to gift you that F1 paddock pass, so be prepared to work at it, but if you do, then there is every chance you will make it. And when you do get there, you’ll appreciate it all the more.”
Leave a Reply